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Film Combat Syndicate

A site dedicated to discussing a variety of action & martial arts film entertainment. The written and expressive work of the author(s) of Film Combat Syndicate is/are protected by Copyright Law. To send us scoops or share your inquiries, email us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

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Independent film has always been a sprawling and vast field to cover. It's network is always in flux with various people connecting with others and collaborating; Following the work of Fernando Jay Huerto eventually brought me to the likes of actress, martial artist and musician, Jessica Wolff, who has shown immense screen caliber in numerous projects she's worked on. Such include sci-fi actioner, Fray and bloody revenge thriller, Eliza, the latter which staunchly remains one of the biggest jewels I've ever helped promote despite its current myopia. Its helmer, fellow Asian cinephile, Mikko Löppönen stands significantly as one of the best examples of contemporary action cinema today even in his current form. He's practical in his approach though, and quite modest despite having as much an interest as any passionate filmmaker. His vocation in action films came seldom with his own screentime than behind the lens, favorably. Primary visits to to the local video store and ab…

Ablaze Image is on hand at Filmart for Hung Tzu Hsuan's directorial debut, The Scoundrels, hailing from Golden Bell winning writer Huang Chien Ming. Their latest, gritty new poster art is now online along with fresh new details.Rui, once a famous basketball player, faces his downfall and works as a street-parking fee collector, who also accepts jobs from a car theft gang.One night, a robber hijacks Rui when he accidentally spots a seriously injured woman in the vehicle. Now the police and the public see Rui as the suspect of the bank robbery, and the girl who could clear his name remains unconscious. How can Rui get himself out of this quagmire?
The Taiwanese action crime drama also stars Wu Kang Ren, JC Lin and Hsieh Hsin Ying. A release date remains pending but alas, the poster below sets the tone accordingly.

Actor and action star Donnie Yen is maintaining his high profile at Filmart in Hong Kong, including a pair of titles currently being sold under Hong Kong’s Mega-Vision Project Workshop that list Kam Ka-Wai's Big Brother and Tanigaki Kenji's Enter The Fat Dragon. Both have made headlines quite a bit in the past year in addition to several others that are also being shopped at Filmart while the latest is just breaking out of Asia by way of Emperor Motion Pictures.
For this, we turn to a recent teaser poster circulating ahead of production for Call Of Heroes helmer Benny Chan action thriller, Crossfire. The project is being hailed as a big budget spectacle that will star Yen as a former police inspector who travels to South America to rescue his kidnapped wife. The title stand among a bustling raft of films hosted by EMP with Dante Lam getting first billing for another spectacular military action spectacle to follow up his previous successes in Operation Mekong (2016), and Opera…

Filmart is underway in Hong Kong and with it, a raft of titles being announced and discussed, the latest including actor Gordon Lam (Firestorm) in the new thriller, Limbo. Soi Cheang of The Monkey King and S.P.L. 2 fame helms this one now under Bravos's international sales roster in Hong Kong with Lam starring as a detective on the trail of a serial killer. As Screendaily notes, Cheang pairs once more with producers Wilson Yip and Paco Wong with Mason Lee joining Lam as a rookie cop, with actress Cya Liu who stars as a woman assigned to the case while and burdened from accidentally killing the detective's family. Sun Entertainment Culture, Er Dong Pictures, Bona Film Group and Sil-Metropole Organization are producing the film which earned a presentation at Filmart on Monday which includes a first teaser poster. Take a look!

Dan Tondowski's directorial debut is easily a film anyone who's seen their fair share of horror and suspense thrillers has seen before. There's plenty to endulge in despite the mundane and predictable delivery and it's mainly up to the viewer just how much more of it is tolerable midway into his first film, Accident.
Bad decision making is a near-constant theme from the film's start as Caroline dupes her best friend, Jess, into trying to connect with friends to a gathering. Instead, they are left stranded moments before haplessly deciding to hitch a ride with two friends, Fred and Thomas, to get to where they need to go.
The rest of the narrative is as you would expect with the foursome suddenly crashing down a ravine. Hours pass amid heavy evening rain and with Caroline bearing the worst of injuries as she's trapped inside with no way out, in addition to a downed powerline, another damaged vehicle and an unsavory cliff - a predicament worsens after the girls…

Here's something to ponder this weekend: What lies ahead for Beyond Skyline director Liam O'Donnell with his next adventure? Such is cause to bring attention to The Last Savage for which O'Donnell's script was one of the three main winners during the IFFAM Project Market late last year curated by Todd Brown.
The synopsis alone reads plentily of what looks to be as spectacular a jungle survival revenge thriller that may very well read your mind of familiar movie titles before long. The director's own statement at the time also lends to that very notion next to the following premise and needless to say, if you're of my mind, I already know that you know you want this movie too. A cataclysmic flood leaves a boy stranded on a remote island where he’s raised by a family of tigers into Buas, a lethal savage. But Peyton, a high-tech hunter arrives and kills his adopted family before bringing the captured Buas to The Rig, an overpopulated steel island built atop drowne…

Select cast and crew members of upcoming action thriller, The Order, took to YouTube on Friday to give fans an update on the crowdfunded and hotly-anticipated feature length film. The video comes nearly two years since the production launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to give the production the right jumpstart it needed prior to further development that would have hopefully seen cameras rolling by now. I'll leave it to you to watch the video for all the T's and I's otherwise crossed and dotted, but the gist of it is that according to actress and executive producer Karan Ashley, the team reportedly did everything by the book to see its house in order only to see their efforts cut short. A forced shutdown of the film ensued along with legal fees among other addenums that took a chunk out of the budget. Ashley does alert fans that this doesn't mark the end-all-be-all of the film's journey, with word that the film has since been in recovery mode as the team co…

China's changing political atmosphere undoubtedly set the tone for quite a bit of backlog late last year for theatrical releases. Award-winning director Xin Yukun fell to the chopping block himself as well upon the stunted rollout of his latest crime thriller, Wrath Of Silence, although it appears at last the smoke has cleared and with a date set for April 4, the campaign otherwise continues with new posters at hand. ZHANG Baomin (SONG Yang) is a miner who works far away from home because of some disputes he had with the townsfolk years ago, whilst his wife and son remain near the mountains running a small sheep farm.One day, Baomin learns that his son Lei hasn't come back from shepherding for two days. He goes back to find his son. His appearance back in town makes people anxious.Searching for his son, Baomin heads for the rough and dangerous mountains, but the resentment and distrust of the townsfolk leads them to turn a blind eye to the reality of a missing child, and the c…

Next month the wait ends for French theatergoers with the release of action crime comedy entry, Taxi 5. The official trailer arrived at the tail end of this week signaling the efforts of actor and director Frank Gastambide who takes the mantle nearly two decades since the franchise took off. Gastambide leads the narrative for the role of Sylvain Marot, a Marseille police transfer assigned to stop a notorious gang of Italian robbers with powerful Ferraris. His only help there after turns out to be Eddy, a hapless taxi driver and as it stands, grand-nephew to that of Daniel, played previously by celebrated actor Samy Naceri. Actor Malik Bentalha takes on the role of Eddy joining Gastambide with returning franchise co-star Bernard Farcy whose role as Commissioner Gilbert sees him transitioning as a Mayor this time around. Follow along with the official trailer below and you'll be welcomed to an appetizer loaded with gags and high-speed thrills that aim to make this fifth installment a …

Leave it to the Russo Brothers - Anthony and Joe - to make your Friday one to remember. Under Marvel's care and nuturement they're ever closer to bringing fans another epic step closer to the very "end" they continue to tease with the forthcoming April release of Avengers: Infinity War, and with it, a final trailer to happy segue fans from the thrills shared in Taika Watiti's Thor: Ragnarok and the global billion dollar success earned by the fruition of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther.
Bear these in mind with more on the way from the studio along with earlier spin-off and solo hopes of Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Danai Gurira's stellar role as Okoye in the Chadwick Boseman starrer. Time will surely tell if things take shape, but alas, Thanos's reckoning awaits and nearly a decade later and following the fallout from Captain America: Civil War, it's up to our heroes once again to take the mantle and save the world.
So, busines as usual?…

Dominic Patten and Mike Fleming Jr. are reporting from Deadline as of Thursday that Ava DuVernay is onto directing yet another big scale event film following her milestone effort with A Wrinkle In Time. Thus, following Selma helmer's own interest in superheroes via Twitter last year, comic book adaptation, The New Gods, will be the project forthcoming from the pages of DC under Warner Bros. Pictures, as inspired by Jack Kirby's 1971 creation of the same name.The New Gods was the Genesis of the uber-villain Darkseid. Also called “Fourth World,” the Kirby creation debuted in a trilogy of related comics written and drawn by Kirby that were published in the very early 1970s: New Gods, Forever People and Mister Miracle. The New Gods came into existence after the world of the gods of classic mythology were destroyed during Ragnarok. The deities inhabit two planets: one is New Genesis, a lush paradise, and the other Apokolips, which sounds like Dante’s version of hell. War ensues.
Th…

Most Read Articles Of The Week

EXCLUSIVE: Emerging director, actor and martial artist Vincent Soberano is hot on the campaign trail for his current film slate this week in Beijing. With at least two of his upcoming releases now privately showcasing in Beijing for an audience comprised of major Hollywood and Chinese industry executives and distributors therein, it's a milestone to marvel at with Soberano now hailing as the first Filipino director to be privy to a screening of this kind.

Not for nothing either, as the footage speaks for itself and those who've seen last year's teaser trailer for Blood Hunters: Rise Of The Hybrids would likely stand in accordance. Since then, the eight-time world Muay Thai champion's craft behind the lens has only continued to grow and with none other than latest of one of the aforementioned two titles now readying for a local theatrical release this May with martial arts revenge thriller, The Trigonal: Fight For Justice. An underground fighting circuit run by an intern…

EXCLUSIVE: Muay Thai champion and emerging film multi-hyphenate, actor Vincent Soberano is on deck to add to his directing repetoire with least two big-budget films going forward: Action-packed high-seas military/naval techno-thriller, No Man's Waters, and romantic action comedy, Three Poles. The films will hail from Soberano's Cinefenio Film Studios, designated as co-productions with Origin Pictures Beijing, and a South Korean production company with the Philippines serving as a major production location with local film crews to be hired.
The news comes in the wake of a robust week for the Filipino filmmaker whose business in Beijing saw him host screenings for his two recently-completed titles, tournament revenge action thriller The Trigonal, and dystopian survival novel adaptation, We Are War. Both were showcased for a rousing audience of major distrubutors and executives, adding to a growing list of career milestone 'firsts' for a Filipino filmmaker, his latest de…

As expected, films like Blood Hunters: Rise Of The Hybrids and The Trigonal won't be the last we hear from director and actor Vincent Soberano. The emerging film talent on both sides of the lens is now taking an even greater stage in recent days with his work now central to the attention of a number of industry figures, one of which enlists his latest thriller, We Are War.
The film takes its cues from the work of writer and author Ruben Payan Jr. for a film set in 2029 as world governments collapse, and remnants of military might are deployed to Japan to seize control and ownership of what little remains of the world's purest natural resource: water. Soberano stars and is also joined by Liang Shih and Death Trance co-star Chuck Johnson.
Other news is seldom known about the film other than what we get to see with the earliest artwork, in addition to a first trailer which stops nothing short of impressive and as thrilling as one would hope for an actioner. It's a stirring …

Action star Sakaguchi Tak's Re:Born still stands as important subject matter of late. His forthcoming appearance at the Iron Dragon TV Action Fest this August is still a headturner and with none other than helmer longtime film partner, stunt multi-hyphenate and film director Shimomura Yuji joining him for the impeding festivities in Austin.
Many topics are sure to come up for curious onlookers as the film marks a stellar return to cinema for the cult favorite who shook the fandom with talk of retirement back in 2013. As it stands, that sudden pivot arose as a result of a dissolving toxic fallout with previous management which apparently forced Sakaguchi's career nearly into obscurity at the time, which makes Re:Born a more than welcome reception at home and overseas.
Moreover, fans can now possibly look toward the talk of Shimomura's latest acquisition, Crazy Musashi, designated as a 77-minute one-take film previously hailed as a pairing with film favorite Sono Sion unde…

The second season of Marvel's Jessica Jones was a great escape for the weekend. I'd also add Starz series, Spartacus and Korean miniseries Tong: Memories to the list. Matters pertaining to this week's entries for The Hit List were all the same and very much entertaining, stunt reels, projects and teasers therein.
The first of the three kicks off our weekly amalgam of gems as always and now with the stylings of stuntman Cameron Okubo, followed by Michael Bekemeier, Adam Shippey, Jonathan King, Heather Bonomo, Justin Fischer, Brandon Shaw, Justin Clarke, Jose Guns Alves, Kylie Riddle, Skyler Mowatt and stunt sibs David and Daren Nop showcasing their latest pairing in a work reel of their own. Rounding out the playlist in riproaring fashion with substance AND style are Bill Scharpf, and in good company with the forthcoming release of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood!

Time to promote some things for you and first up are a trio of stills hailing ex…

Last year proved opportune with Southeast Asian regional VOD service HOOQ's in-house Filmmakers' Guild hosting an annual program for aspiring creatives. For this, leave it to Ario Sagantorio, noted producer of The Raid franchise, to invest in shepherding what would ultimately land as a HOOQ finalist with director Bobby Prabowo at the helm for his latest series investment, Heaven And Hell.
Actor Aufa Assagaf headlines a cast set in a tale of a man caught in a gang war with his father's life hanging in the balance and only one way to rise to the top of it all. Such is the narrative that joins Assagaf with Halfworlds series actress Salvita Decorte, and The Raid 2 co-stars Donny Alamsyah and Mike Lucock with a script by Eric Tiwa, and now accompanied in recent hours with a full minute teaser promo for the pilot which will air only on HOOQ at the end of next week throughout Southeast Asia.
Take a look below!

Fans of independent action cinema keen on following figures like stunt professionals Mitch Gould and Dan Southworth were rightly onto something since both appeared together in Isaac Florentine's U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force. Both have flourished in the years since then in their crafts behind the lens and thus attributing their work now seen in Gould's solo directorial debut, Battle Drone, finally hitting Netflix and serving up a worthy piece of entertainment for select streaming audiences and action fans alike.
Bleach-blonde Louis Mandylor leads the sci-fi thriller as seasoned solider Rekker, a former military captain-turned-gun for hire whose dishonorable departure from the formalities of military service have all but re-calibrated his worldview and moral compass with more-than-enough shades of grey. His means of income enlists his employment with his own team of equally-skilled badass mercenaries to get off-the-radar jobs done for the CIA, no matter how dirty.
Actress D…

Select cast and crew members of upcoming action thriller, The Order, took to YouTube on Friday to give fans an update on the crowdfunded and hotly-anticipated feature length film. The video comes nearly two years since the production launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to give the production the right jumpstart it needed prior to further development that would have hopefully seen cameras rolling by now. I'll leave it to you to watch the video for all the T's and I's otherwise crossed and dotted, but the gist of it is that according to actress and executive producer Karan Ashley, the team reportedly did everything by the book to see its house in order only to see their efforts cut short. A forced shutdown of the film ensued along with legal fees among other addenums that took a chunk out of the budget. Ashley does alert fans that this doesn't mark the end-all-be-all of the film's journey, with word that the film has since been in recovery mode as the team co…

Here's something to ponder this weekend: What lies ahead for Beyond Skyline director Liam O'Donnell with his next adventure? Such is cause to bring attention to The Last Savage for which O'Donnell's script was one of the three main winners during the IFFAM Project Market late last year curated by Todd Brown.
The synopsis alone reads plentily of what looks to be as spectacular a jungle survival revenge thriller that may very well read your mind of familiar movie titles before long. The director's own statement at the time also lends to that very notion next to the following premise and needless to say, if you're of my mind, I already know that you know you want this movie too. A cataclysmic flood leaves a boy stranded on a remote island where he’s raised by a family of tigers into Buas, a lethal savage. But Peyton, a high-tech hunter arrives and kills his adopted family before bringing the captured Buas to The Rig, an overpopulated steel island built atop drowne…

Independent film has always been a sprawling and vast field to cover. It's network is always in flux with various people connecting with others and collaborating; Following the work of Fernando Jay Huerto eventually brought me to the likes of actress, martial artist and musician, Jessica Wolff, who has shown immense screen caliber in numerous projects she's worked on. Such include sci-fi actioner, Fray and bloody revenge thriller, Eliza, the latter which staunchly remains one of the biggest jewels I've ever helped promote despite its current myopia. Its helmer, fellow Asian cinephile, Mikko Löppönen stands significantly as one of the best examples of contemporary action cinema today even in his current form. He's practical in his approach though, and quite modest despite having as much an interest as any passionate filmmaker. His vocation in action films came seldom with his own screentime than behind the lens, favorably. Primary visits to to the local video store and ab…